


Second Chances

by ashleygrusz



Category: Diabolik Lovers
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-05-24 19:44:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 16,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6164501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashleygrusz/pseuds/ashleygrusz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Yui stabbed herself, Cordelia was destroyed. But what if Yui was going to die anyway because of how badly she injured herself. This story shows how the brothers deal with this event, and how the seven of them meet again for a second chance at living together. The pairing is uncertain right now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I'm ashleygrusz. Just here to let you know that, like the rest of my stories, this story is also posted on fanfiction.net and inkitt.com, so if you prefer the format of those sites, by all means, check me out there. Thanks for giving my story a shot.

The Sakamaki brothers wandered their house aimlessly. Yui had stabbed herself to save them from Cordelia, but now it appeared as though she would die and Cordelia would live regardless of her sacrifice.

They were scared of losing her, but more importantly, they were scared of what that fear meant. It meant that she wasn’t just their blood bank. She wasn’t just another weak that human they hated. She wasn’t just a source of amusement to them. She wasn’t just a way to get power.

And that terrified them.

Then, Reiji came into the room and told them that his potion could save her. She was going to live, but things couldn’t go back to the way that they had been. Not after they had realized how much they cared for her.

After she woke up they were all happy. For several days, Yui had to stay in bed. The brothers didn’t disturb her, so that she could recover and they could learn how to deal with their revelations.

But things didn’t stay peaceful for long. Because Reiji went over his potion’s ingredients and made a terrible revelation.

That night, he went to Yui’s room. It was the first time in his life that he wished to be wrong. But he wasn’t.

When Reiji had gone over the potion’s ingredients, he had realized that it was only able to temporarily repair damage to a human’s heart. And since Yui had stabbed her own heart, it would only allow her to live for a short period of time.

After he confirmed this fact, he called to his brothers. Upon this discovery they were all shocked.

“Are you certain that she will die?” Shuu asked.

“Yes, her heart has already begun to develop an arrhythmia.”

“If the potion healed her once, couldn’t she take it again?” Kanato pleaded.

“It wouldn’t matter, it can only be taken once or will turn into a poison for a human.”

After the brothers absorbed this fact in silence, Subaru finally managed to choke out the question that had been going through all of their minds. “How long?”

“Maybe two or three weeks if she is lucky. A few days if she becomes too weak.”

After they realized how short their time with her would be, they reached a silent agreement that they wouldn’t fight in front of her, and they would allow her to choose how she lived, for the first time since they had met her.


	2. Clarity

Ayato

_So Chichinashi is going to die. I knew it would happen eventually, but I thought I'd be able to make her a vampire or something. Not just watch her die like this._

_I haven't even gotten the chance to convince her that I am the best. That she should want to belong to me. I didn't even know I wanted that before that bitch tried to steal her._

_And now I'll lose her._

_I have to see her._

Ayato arrived outside of Yui's door. For the first time, he knocked before he came in.

She was brushing her hair, saying that she wanted something to eat.

"I'll just have one of the familiars make something for you. You can stay in bed."

"But I enjoy cooking. Besides, I've been in this room for too long Ayato-kun."

He almost told her to stop being stupid and to just obey him. But he stopped himself. _I told myself that I would let her live her life as she pleased. At least for a little while, considering all she has done for me._

Instead, he walked her down to the kitchen. Once there, she opened the refrigerator and began to cook.

Ayato was fascinated by her mastery of the kitchen and almost couldn't believe that in a few short weeks, she would be gone. But it didn't change the truth.

As a result, he was torn between wanting to run as far away from her as quickly as he could in order to protect himself, and to keep her as close as possible until that day came.

But then, Yui turned to him with fear in her eyes and asked him if he wanted some of the soup that she was making. And he knew that no matter how little time he might have left with her, he wanted to enjoy every minute of it. And he wanted to make that fear leave her eyes.

The two of them ate together that day and managed to feel genuine happiness at the bond that they were tentatively forming, and all the while, Ayato silently begged the universe for more time with her.

Shuu

Shuu was restless after he found out what would happen to Yui. It was worse than what had happened to Edgar. At least then, he didn't have the knowledge hanging over his head. But now, all he could think of was her fate.

Thoughts of Yui's death plagued him. In fact, he was thinking of it when she showed up in the small room where he had decided to sleep.

"Shuu-san, it's bad for your back to sleep on a couch like that."

"It doesn't matter."

_It hurts to have her so close, but I don't want it to stop. So why am I scaring her away like this._

But, instead of scaring her away, Yui stepped closer to Shuu and asked a question that she had always wondered about since she had set foot into the mansion. "What kind of music are you always listening to, Shuu-san?"

Shuu was shocked by her boldness when she had always been so shy around all of them. But, it also brought him a strange sense of happiness, perhaps because she wanted to know more about him.

"Why don't you come here and find out?"

To others he might have seemed impassive to her sudden proximity and curiosity, but in reality he was elated. Yui took the earbud that he offered her and sat on the floor next to his bench.

"Beautiful."

That single word delighted Shuu, and he thought that it would be uncomfortable for her to remain on the floor as she was, so he lifted her onto his chest, forcing her to lay on top of him.

It was a gesture meant to see to her comfort, but fear instantly appeared in Yui's eyes.

"I won't take your blood. I just wanted you to be more comfortable while we listened to the music." As Shuu spoke these soothing words, he shocked even himself. He had always enjoyed her fear, but now he wanted to to disappear and he regretted allowing himself to cause it in the first place.

While his words didn't have their full desired effect, some of the fear did fade from Yui's eyes, and they were able to comfortably enjoy each others company, listening to music and occasionally discussing their likes and dislikes, particularly their favorite music and composers.

Kanato

_I don't want Yui-san to die. She should belong to me and Teddy._

These thoughts had run through Kanato's mind after he had found out about her impending death. And he had found a solution. He would kill her first, so that she would always belong to him.

It was with this intention that he sought Yui out, and found her looking at a bouquet of flowers that one of the familiars had placed in the entrance hall.

_I could just kill her from behind, but then she wouldn't know that it was me. So I'll tap her on the shoulder, maybe take her outside and …_

But all these thoughts flew from Kanato's mind as Yui turned around with a bright smile on her face and asked, "Don't you think these flowers are beautiful? Maybe we could use some of them to decorate the clothes that you make Kanato-kun."

"The clothes that I make are already perfect. But maybe I could make an outfit for you with some of these flowers."

He said this last sentence under his breath, not wanting her to hear this thought.

"Your clothes are lovely, but they do tend to be awfully masculine. Though, the flowers would probably clash horribly with their designs so it's probably best that you don't add them."

"Obviously. Now come with me. I want to get cake in town and you're coming with me."

Yui obediently followed him to town, both of them surprised by his actions.

Kanato himself couldn't believe what he was doing. After all, he was going to kill her. But once he was in her presence, he found that he didn't want to anymore. Instead, he wanted to treasure her smile.

And so, the two of them ate their cakes in town and chatted about possible future outings and plans. But the thoughts that filled Kanato's mind were what kind of dress would look best on Yui.

Subaru

_So Yui is going to die soon. Not sure why I should bother to be surprised, we all knew that it was going to happen anyway. But what if she doesn't want to wait? What if she asks me to kill her, just like Mother?_

Subaru wandered through the rose gardens aimlessly as he considered these things, mostly, whether or not he could bare to kill Yui. Then he found her looking at a rose bush full of white roses, and he couldn't bring himself to do a thing as he thought that his worst nightmare could very well come true at that exact moment.

He stared at her for a few moments before she looked up and startled at his presence. This caused him to finally speak up and ask, "Why are you here?"

"Oh, I saw a bouquet in the house earlier and I decided that I would like to see them while they were still alive."

"The roses in the entrance hall are still alive."

"They are, but they are only half alive. They know that they will die soon now that they know that they will die soon. It's holding them back from doing something reckless because they know that it could be the last thing they do."

"So if you were going to die, you wouldn't want to know?"

Yui laughed and said, "Of course I know that I am going to die. I am human after all. But I think that knowing when it will happen limits people. A lot of people say that it is freeing because they don't have to worry anymore, but I think a lot of them just end up being more afraid of shortening their lives and that keeps them from really living. That's why I try not to think about it and focus instead on living a life that I enjoy and doing everything I can, so that when that time does come, maybe I will beg for more time, but it won't be because I regret not doing something while I still could or doing something that I regret that I did and now don't have the time to fix."

"Then why did you stay here when you could have run away?"

"Because, their was something that I wanted to know before I left. And now, oddly enough, I do like this house, despite everything that has happened here."

"Well, I suppose that's as good a reason as any."

After this conversation, the two companions moved onto lighter topics and enjoyed looking at the roses together.

_She won't ask me to kill her, but I can't tell her that she will die. But I can spend time with her, so that I won't regret never really knowing this strange, strong human._

Reiji

_How could I not have realized the side effects of the drug before I gave it to her? I should have been more careful. I should never have allowed myself to care for her so much. I should have just used her for experiments, like I did to all of the other brides. It would have been for better for-_

As he thought about his mistakes, Reiji saw Yui heading out of her room.

"Where are you going?"

"Oh, I was getting thirsty so I thought that I would go to the kitchen for a drink."

"Come to my study, I will prepare tea."

_Why am I doing this?_

"Wow Reiji, I noticed this before, but you really do have a lot of books."

"Of course, I am of good breeding, it is only natural that I should be well read."

"Then which book is your favorite?"

"It is _Les Miserables_."

"You really are very good at finding things that others wouldn't think of. I didn't even know this was a book, I thought that it was just a stage play. Why do you like it?"

_This is my reason. How did I not notice it before? She wants to know about me. She looks at me and doesn't have any expectations, she simply wants to see me and know me. She doesn't look at me as that good-for-nothings subordinate. She sees me and wants to know more._

At this realization, he decided against poisoning Yui's cup. Instead, he made her black tea from his private supply.

But when he brought their teacups to the table, he noticed a problem. When Yui saw her cup, she looked apprehensive. Reiji quickly realized that she was suspicious of it, and with good reason. While Reiji had only experimented on her once, he had been cruel while doing it.

He wanted to comfort her, but it was too late to undo the past. So instead, Reiji picked up one of the tea cups and took a small sip before offering that same cup to Yui. "Better now?"

"Ah yes, thank you Reiji-san."

After that trial had been completed, the two settled into chairs and spoke for hours about their books and hobbies. Yui borrowed Reiji's copy of _Les Mis_ with the latter never informing her of why he liked it so much. Reiji also resolved to find other teas, as Yui had commented that she preferred teas that were sweeter than black tea, though she hurriedly assured him, that his tea was excellent. And proved it with the pair drinking pot after pot of tea as their conversation continued, sometimes in comfortable silence, and other times in lively words.

Raito

_So Bitch-chan is going to die. I wonder if she will really go to her God's Heaven once that happens._

Raito often thought of Yui's death, thinking of it with an odd smile. Eventually, he tried to escape from these thoughts by playing his piano. But, this only drew the object of his thoughts to him when she heard the music.

"Raito-kun, will you tell me the name of the song that you are playing?"

"It doesn't have a name."

"Oh."

The two sat in an uneasy silence for a moment, until Raito decided that he might as well tease Yui. Just as he was getting up from the piano bench, she said, "You know, you don't always have to smile Raito-kun."

"What?"

"You're always smiling when you look at other people, but when you think that you are alone, you stop smiling. And your eyes never show the same emotion that you try to convey with your smile. So, why do you keep trying?"

Such questions shocked Raito, and he was about to brush them off with his usual smile when he looked into her eyes.

_Those are bright, clear eyes. They don't have any secrets or hidden intentions, but pure emotions. The kind that I'll never have again. And when she dies, I'll never find someone else like her or see such honest eyes again. Unless …_

"Hey, Bitch-chan, do you really believe you'll go to Heaven when you die?"

"I'm not sure. I believe that Heaven is real because this can't be the end. The connections that we form with other people, the feelings that we have, the memories that we make, they can't just end when we die. They're too important for that. Maybe the place we go to isn't the Heaven that I believe in or maybe it is and I'll never be able to reach it, but I do know that we will end up somewhere else after we die."

"How strange", Raito said with a laugh.

_Does that mean that she isn't afraid? But, I do want to stay with her for just a little bit longer. Who knows, maybe after she dies, we'll meet again somewhere in her "other place"._

Simply by thinking such things, Raito didn't realize that he had begun to change, but even without knowing it, Yui was changing Raito, slowly yet surely as they sat together, sometimes talking or other times with Raito playing the piano for her.


	3. Regret

Three weeks later

The brothers had kept the fact of Yui's death from her for the past few weeks, per Subaru's assertion that she wouldn't want to know. But that didn't stop them from seeing her.

Occasionally fights would almost break out as one brother butted into another's time with Yui, but they always stopped short of fighting, knowing how much she hated violence. They also never drank her blood, terrified that by taking it, they may hasten her departure from this world.

And her time with them was rapidly coming to a close. Even Yui knew that, although she hadn't been told. They all knew by how pale she was becoming, how weak she always felt and how often she clutched her chest in pain or needed to sleep.

But, even as these things occurred, Yui also smiled more often, spending almost every moment with one of the brothers and becoming more bold towards them as the fear slowly began to fade from her eyes.

It was this boldness that had led them to their current situation. Recently, Yui had stated that she wished the brothers would act more like a family, like eating meals together and sharing about their lives.

None of them were very keen on this, but as their time with Yui came to a close, they began to want to spoil her more often, trying to grant all of her wishes, no matter how small they were. And so, at six they all gathered in the dining room to have dinner together with Yui.

Yui wore a white dress that ended at her knees, dotted here and there with little clusters of cloth flowers. It had been made by Kanato and he had only just finished it that night, and since it was close to the end, Yui chose to wore it that night.

For a while, the seven of them were able to eat a peaceful meal together. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but the brothers all tried to talk to each other a little. Though slightly forced, it delighted Yui that they would go to this much trouble for her.

While she was thinking this, she suddenly felt an extreme jolt of pain in her chest, and when she moved to hold it, her hand came away soaked with blood. It looked as though the wound that she had inflicted when she stabbed herself had suddenly appeared again.

All of the brothers quickly gathered around her, and stared until Reiji said, "It's the end. The potion has finally stopped working. There is nothing we can do."

After hearing this, the rest of his brothers quickly moved Yui to her bed while Reiji found a potion that would prevent her from feeling the pain of her death. The brothers all stood around her bed, lost in thoughts of how they could have prevented this from happening and what they wanted to do with her before she died.

Reiji was the first to speak. "I'm sorry I couldn't make a better potion, Yui."

It was the first time in years he had apologized, because it was the only time he had allowed himself to take a risk which could lead to a mistake.

"It's not your fault, Reiji-san. I meant to die that night, but I was given a second chance at life, to learn more about all of you, and to enjoy my time here."

Yui

_That's right, I should have died weeks ago. Instead I was able to stay here and learn more about all of them. I always thought that there was more to the six of them than being bloodthirsty vampires. Now I know that I was right to believe in them. I'm so happy._

But as Yui thought this, her body suddenly arched off the bed and she saw the sky.

"Please take me outside."

The brothers' surprise at this request was immediately evident, but upon seeing the genuine desire for it to be fulfilled, they carried her to a bench and she squirmed until she could see the sky above her.

The brothers anxiously stood around her, waiting for her to say something, maybe even tell them that she hated them for causing her death, or for how they had treated her. Instead Yui said, "Thank you. These last few weeks have been wonderful, and I'm glad now that I was sent here, and that I was able to know all of you. But I do have one last request. Please take care of yourselves and each other. I don't want to see the people who have given me so much happiness disappear so soon. And I believe that I'll see you all again someday, maybe by looking down from Heaven or maybe by walking by you. So please, wait for that day and greet me with a smile."

These words seemed to ease the hearts of the brothers standing around her, until her body arched again, for the last time.

_No, not yet. I don't want to die without telling him how I feel. How he has helped me. How much I love him. Even though I swore that I wouldn't allow this to happen, I don't want to die without doing that._

But it was too late, because with that final thought, Yui's heart stopped for the last time. But the moment did bring her some comfort.

_I love you. I'm sorry that I never told you, but I'm glad that we met. Who knows, maybe God will give me another second chance to do this right. Goodbye, and thank you for everything, you strange, strong vampires._


	4. Changed

After Yui's death. the Sakamaki brothers stood silently around her body. They simply stared at the vessel that had once held the girl whom they all loved.

The first to break the silence was, unusually, Shuu. "We need to bury her. We didn't do that for the other sacrificial brides, but she was different. She would want to be buried."

After this decision was made the six of them found a spot in their family's cemetery right next to a rose bush. but where the sun would shine on her tombstone. They all agreed that she would enjoy being bathed in light.

After this, the brothers went back to the house at varying times. However, they all eventually ended up in the hallway outside of Yui's room. None of them could bear the thought that they would open that door and it would be devoid of Yui's warmth, but they knew that they had to do something.

Eventually, Kanato opened the door and they all looked at the room that had so recently belonged to the only human that they had all cared about. They had come into her room dozens of times before, almost always without Yui's permission, but just now it struck them how little freedom they had given her. The room was filled with Yui's possessions but all of the furniture and wallpaper had been chosen by another.

It saddened them. The six stood in that room, connected by their morning for the little human girl who had been different from all the others. The girl who had always been afraid of them, but had also been brave enough to try to learn about them.

Occasionally, one of the brothers would brush his hands over one of her things, maybe a hairbrush or a piece of her clothing, but none of them tried to make any changes to the room until Raito stepped up to the table next to her bed, and picked up Yui's cross.

"We forgot to bury this with her. She would be sad."

This caused Subaru to speak up. "We shouldn't touch her things. Yui believed that she might go to Heaven, but she also believed that she would see us again one day. We should leave her room just as it is, so that when she comes back, she won't have to start all over again."

The brothers all agreed with this, mostly because the thought of passing this room and finding another guest room was more painful to them than the thought of seeing all of Yui's belongings here without her.

After this decision was made they slowly left the room and continued on with their lives. Raito still had sex with anything that looked vaguely alive, Reiji still made his potions, Shuu still slept often, Subaru still had a bad temper, Ayato was still narcissistic, Kanato still made dolls. But things had changed.

Raito never had sex with another blonde girl and he never allowed any other person to hear him play the piano again. Reiji stopped experimenting on humans to honor her belief that humans were better than that. Shuu often skipped songs on his playlists, not wanting to remember how he and Yui had listened or discussed them. Subaru only allowed himself to break things outside the house, remembering how she had always nagged him about the mess and the fear in her eyes whenever he went on a rampage. Ayato didn't care about girls with large breasts anymore. Kanato never made another woman's dress again.

It took the brothers a few years before they realized that nothing had actually changed. Things had gone back to the way that they were before Yui had lived with them. This was further shown by the arrival of several more sacrificial brides.

The only thing that had changed was the Sakamaki brothers. Now they didn't bother to taunt the brides anymore. In many cases, they allowed them to escape or ignored them entirely. But what had changed most about them was that one part of the house was off-limits to all of them. None of them could bring themselves to enter Yui's room for very long and so it was avoided with the exception of servants entering to clean it. But even they were under strict orders to change nothing.

Occasionally the brothers would look inside her room, but it was a rare occurrence especially as Yui's scent began to fade from her room. Despite this, the room was kept in perfect order, as though its owner had simply stepped out and would be back in a few hours. But this was only an illusion.

Several times, the brothers tried to move out of that house, but they never could. It was the place that Yui had lived with them, and, more importantly, Yui had wanted them to stay together. They couldn't disobey that wish, especially while they prayed that maybe one day Yui really would come back to see them, just as she had believed that she would.

And so, the Sakamaki brothers lived in this fashion for many years.


	5. Searching

Twenty Years Later

Hikari Wakahisa opened her eyes as she broke free from the strange dreams that had plagued her for most of her life. Sometimes, she would remember vague images, like a flash of red hair, a black hat, or, strangest of all, a knife that didn't look like it was made of iron because it was so bright. But what made them awful were the feelings that they invoked, a mourning feeling, regret at not doing something, feeling as though she needed to see someone again. Described like this, they didn't seem so bad, but they were encompassed by the absolute feeling of having lost something infinitely precious to her. Unfortunately, she could never remember what the dreams were about with the exception of these vague ideas and feelings, and that, more than anything, always made her cry when she woke up.

But today wasn't the time for that. Tomorrow, Hikari would be moving out of her parents' house to attend night school. No one could understand why Hikari, a girl who loved a sunny day more than anyone, would want to go to night school, not even the girl herself. To her, it simply felt like it might answer the questions that had been plaguing her for years.

Because of her dreams, Hikari often acted strangely during the day. For instance, she would see a man with white hair and run up to speak to him, only to find a stranger. Other times, she would see someone with red hair and want to make takoyaki for some strange reason. But, it also affected more than that. When Hikari listened to classical music played on the violin, she always felt at peace, but when she heard someone play the piano or watched _Les Mis_ with her parents, she would suddenly start to cry.

Her parents would always try to ask her why she acted that way, but she could never come up with a word for it. It just felt like when she saw or heard these things, they were so close to something she had lost, that she couldn't stop crying from the pain it brought.

Hikari had never told anyone, but those dreams were a big part of her decision to live in another town for her high school years. When she had seen a pamphlet for the school in her middle school counselor's office, she had simply felt as though she would be able to find what she had lost there.

Anyway, it's not like moving could harm her life. Her parents hadn't had a good relationship since she had been born, with her father constantly accusing her mother of having an affair. She could understood why he thought this. Hikari's parents were both Japanese, but she had always had pale blonde, almost white, hair and silvery-grey eyes. No one could explain them, and sometimes Hikari felt as though her eyes were the wrong color. Despite these oddities, Hikari knew that her parents loved her, even her father, but she didn't want to be the cause of their fighting anymore.

And with these thoughts in mind, Hikari began to pack up the last of her belongings in order to be ready to leave tomorrow. But rather than the sadness that she expected to feel, she was excited as though she was going home, even though she had never been anywhere but Tokyo in her life.


	6. Arrival

Hikari

The day that I arrived at my new apartment, I was exhausted. It had been a long trip and I was still uncertain about why I was even here in the first place.

But I was already here, and I wanted to make the best of it. I desperately wanted to sleep, but I knew that I would begin school again tomorrow and I didn't want to have the thought of unpacking hanging over my head, especially after what was likely to be an exhausting day at school.

Unfortunately, unpacking gave me plenty of time to think.

_Am I really sure that I want to do this? I've never lived alone before and I'm terrible around new people. How will I handle tomorrow?_

_Well, it's a little late to be thinking about this, but still._

_Looking at it now, I can understand why my parents were so surprised. I had always been a good kid, but I had just suddenly decided to do something where I had no idea how it would end, or even how to start it._

_But, even now that I'm doubting this decision, I feel like things will be changing. It's almost as though I already know why I'm here, but I just forgot the reason._

_It's not like how you forget about your homework or to buy something. It feels like I'm trying to remember a thought that I had right before I fell asleep, but I can't because the dream that I had while sleeping was so long that it has masked that last important thought._

_Feeling like that, it should be impossible for me to remember, but I feel like I'm on the verge of finding all these answers to the questions that have always plagued me._

_I've never felt that way, but so far I've allowed myself to move and transfer schools based on these feelings, so I might as well just keep following them._

With that thought, I realized that I had finished all of my unpacking. I still would need to buy some things, but for now, my new apartment was complete.

It was only eight, but I was so tired that I decided to get some sleep.

_After all, maybe I'll get some more_ _ **feelings**_ _while I sleep to help me to figure out what the hell is going on in my head. Either way, tomorrow I'm definitely going to be looking around. Hope all goes well._


	7. Forgotten Cemetary

Hikari

After a few minutes of tossing and turning, I realized that I couldn't sleep, no matter how exhausted I felt. So I decided to go for a walk. I had always enjoyed walking. It helped to calm me. Even though it was a bit late, my gut told me that I would always be safe in this town.

_Yeah, maybe it'll call the cops if I end up getting mugged._

Regardless of my mental ambivalence about the issue, I still got up and put a can of pepper spray in my pocket and grabbed my flashlight. If I was going to be exploring this new town at night, I sure as hell wasn't going to be even more of an idiot about it. The flashlight would help me see, and it was heavy enough for me to take a good swing at an attacker.

As a result of my restless attitude, what I had intended to be a short stroll ended up being a three hour march to a seemingly deserted road. I should have been terrified, but for some reason I felt like this was the right way to go. It almost seemed as though I had always know this road and I was finally returning to a place I had forgotten.

It was ridiculous, but at least it kept me from jumping every time I heard a twig snap.

Suddenly thought, I came to a high fence, which surrounded a cemetery. For some reason, I was struck by the urge to climb over it.

After I had done so, I noticed how decrepit it was. All of the tombstones were very close to being rubble. Looking around, I thought that it had probably been abandoned years ago.

Until, I found one tombstone that was not only in perfect condition, it looked as though it had just been placed there, though, according to the date on it, it had been there for several decades.

_Well Yui Komori, whoever you were, someone certainly still cares about you, to come all the way to this place to take care of your new home._

While I had been musing about this mysterious dead girl, I hadn't noticed that a boy had walked up right behind me.

_Wait, is he even Japanese? I mean, I certainly don't look it, so I shouldn't be pointing the finger at this dude, but his hair is_ _**purple** _ _. How the hell did that happen? Especially because it doesn't look like it was died._

"Why are you here?" the mystery boy said, probably for at least the second time based on how annoyed he looks. "If you have no business here, then please leave."

It was enough that his tone was rude, but he hadn't even looked at me while he spoke. He just kept staring at the woman's grave. Maybe he was her son and he thought that I was desecrating her grave? Still that's no reason to speak to me like that.

As I was considering how to let him know just how little I appreciated his tone, he finally looked up, probably because of my total lack of response.

He had been so rude that I wasn't really sure what to expect when he finally looked at me, but it certainly wasn't for him to look so shocked. Seriously, dude looks like he just saw a ghost. Maybe because I didn't look Asian?

Either way, I had had enough, so I decided that if was just going to stand there and stare at me, then I would take him up on his advice and get out of his hair. But when I finally turned to leave, he grabbed my arm.

I made a noise, halfway between pain and surprise. His grip was tight, but it lasted for less than a second before he dropped my arm like it was poisonous.

_What the hell? That was strange, but I'm even stranger. Why do I feel almost happy?_

_It's like I'm glad that that guy grabbed me. But why? I've never seen before, but I wanted to hug him when I saw him. If it weren't for his attitude, then I probably would have._

_I mean, that's happened before, but I usually lose the urge as soon as I see the other person's face. But not him._

_Oh well, I'll probably never see him again, but why does that idea make me feel so sad?_

Despit these thoughts, once I got back to my apartment, I was able to sleep like a baby, as though the only reason I had gone out at all was to meet that strange boy.

Kanato

_Who was that woman and why was she here? No that doesn't matter._

_Why does she look just like Yui-san does? When I saw her try to leave, I thought that Yui-san was leaving. But that's impossible, we all saw her die and the proof is right in front of me._

_I've kept Yui-san's grave in perfect shape ever since that day. Besides, her eyes are wrong. Her face is identical to Yui-san's, but instead of pink, her eyes are grey._

_It's just a chance resemblance. After all, it's been so many years since Yui-san died that I forgot some of the specifics. That's why I mistook them._

_Still, when I grabbed her arm, it felt as though I was holding onto Yui-san again, even right down to the same noise of pain, that now made me cringe._

_But it's impossible._

I tended to Yui-san's grave quickly before I left, wondering about that strange girl. I never did get her name. _Oh well, I'll never meet her again, so it's no real loss. Besides, she'll never be anything like Yui-san used to be._


	8. Song

Shuu

Why do we have to come back to this school again? I know that Father is upset that we refuse to leave this house, but must he really make us continue to attend that boring high school again? We all already graduated decades ago.

Well, I suppose that it's worth it so long as we are able to stay in the same place that we met her.

Yui.

It's hard to believe that it's been so long since she died. I still expect her to come up to me while I'm sleeping to ask some stupid question or hearing her fighting my brothers. Now I regret that I didn't save her all those times.

When Edgar died, I missed him, but now, it feels as though everytime I close my eyes, I see Yui. I remember all the things that she told me, and how badly I hurt her.

I know that I never managed to fully repair the injuries that I caused for her, but wish that I could. Perhaps that's the real reason that none of us have ever left this house.

We want to remember her, especially those last words that she gave to us. She said that she would see us again.

I don't know how that will happen. I doubt that it ever will. But I hope that she manages the impossible.

After all, Yui already pulled off a miracle. She managed to get six bloodthirsty vampires who only thought of her as a blood bank to fall in love with her. To view her as precious. To mourn her death.

Maybe, she'll create another miracle, and we really will meet each other again.

How foolish. I know it's impossible, but I still can't help but cling onto that silly promise that she made even after all these years. But it's not just me.

Her last words are words that we all remember, even now. Isn't that the reason why we haven't all killed each other yet? Yui hated it when we fought, and she wanted us to stay together. It's the only reason why all six of us are still in this house.

Sometimes, I wish that I could hate her. That way, I wouldn't have to attend this ridiculous school again. I wouldn't have to see my brothers every day. I wouldn't have to miss her so much.

But I also wouldn't have been able to savor the time that I had with her.

Oh well, it's too late now. What's done is done and soon Reiji is going to be coming for me. I should get ready. How irritating.

Hikari

I woke up this morning feeling more refreshed than I had in a long time. But more than that, I felt as if I finally had gotten closer to where I belonged.

All this time, I had always felt as though I belonged elsewhere, and no matter where I went, I never found peace. I couldn't understand it but it always felt as if I was at someone else's home. It was as though I was waiting to go back to my own. After last night, it felt as though I was closer to that goal.

I couldn't explain it, but it's not like that is anything new to me.

So I ignored it and began to prepare for school. It was still early, but I wanted to get to the school at least an hour before classes started so that I could find my classroom and everything else without being late for class. Though even with the head start, it was unlikely that I would be able to accomplish that goal.

Once I got to school, I could tell that my hunch was right. I was lost. Eventually, I found myself in what looked like a music room, though it seemed odd to me that it was empty. It felt like someone should be there.

Whatever.

My classes were about to start and I knew that I needed to find them quickly, but I found myself wanting to explore the room. As I looked around, I began to hum. My friends had always teased me about humming classical music, but for some reason I had always done so. It was even stranger because I can't remember ever hearing the songs that I hummed but I could tell that I hadn't made them up. Yet another thing about myself that I couldn't understand.

I was distracted from my exploration by a man asking, "Why are you singing that song?"

Turning around, I saw a blonde haired man lying on the couch with a faintly irritated expression on his face. When he saw me, I thought I detected surprise cross his face before he his irritation showed itself again.

Before I could act on my sudden impulse to hug him, I answered his question. Why is it that every time I meet a good-looking guy, they get angry and interrogate me? "I got lost and was curious when I found this room. I'm sorry."

And why the hell was I apologising as though he owned this place? What's more, why did it feel like this room really did belong to him?

He stared at me for several moments, and I saw the irritation leave his face. "Do you intend to stay here all day?"

"Oh no. Could you tell me how to get to the third year classrooms please? I'll be late if I don't hurry."

Even as I said this, I was surprised when he actually gave me directions.

As I hurried off to class, I could feel him staring at my back, but seemingly making no attempt to go to his own class.

Shuu

How did that girl know that song?

I wrote that song in the weeks before Yui's death, and she is the only one who I've ever played it for. There should be no way for her to be able to hum it like that.

Unless…

_And I believe that I'll see you all again someday, maybe by looking down from Heaven or maybe by walking by you. So please, wait for that day and greet me with a smile._

Could those words have been true? Could that girl really be Yui?

She does look just like her, and it seemed as though she recognized me. But is that really possible?

I suppose that there is no way to know for now, but when I see her next I will have to find a way to confirm it. I will make sure that I see her again.


	9. Glare

Hikari

After my encounter with that strange man, or, now that I consider his uniform, student, I managed to find someone to ask directions from and made it to my class a few minutes before the bell rang.

Once I reached the doorway, I found my eyes drawn to a tall man with black hair. I couldn't say what drew my attention to him. There were other girls around him, but that wasn't what drew my attention to him.

Whatever had caused me to notice him, I felt that same desperate pull that I had felt so many times before. Though I knew that I had never met him before, I wanted to reach out and hug him. I had done it to so many people in the past, only to pull back from them when they cried out in surprise, and every time, instead of feeling embarrassed like I should have been, I felt disappointed.

Every time that this happened, I ran to them in the hope that they were the person who I was searching for. But every time, it was someone else, and I was disappointed that the person who I had tackled wasn't the one I was looking for. The strangest thing was that I had no idea who I was looking for, only that I always hoped to find them and when I saw someone who resembled them in even the smallest way, I would always reach out to them.

It was this same pull that I felt towards the classmate who was standing over there. I wanted to run over to him and hug him, but experience had taught me that all of my hopes were in vain, and I had learned to suppress my desire to do so. Otherwise, I would have tackled that blonde man I had met when I first saw him.

Just as I was thinking that I would never find any of these mysterious people, and there had to be several for all the different traits which reminded me of them, the black-haired student turned to look at something and saw me.

As I saw his red eyes, I felt the urge to hug him more strongly than I had before. I probably would have, if not for the glare that I saw him throwing me.

The oddest thing that struck me was the fact that when he turned to me, he had looked at me as though he knew me, and I had felt that same recognition. It was just like in the music room. I had expected to be met with disappointment when I had heard his voice, but both that time and this time, I felt as if I had found the people that I was looking for.

This feeling was even further supported by the fact that he seemed as though he recognised me, but his glare intimidated me too much to go up to talk to him.

Still, with all of the same feelings that had led me to move here also telling me that this was one of the men that I was searching for, I knew that I would have to talk to him, and what's more, I even wanted to talk to him. Once I got the courage to face his glare.

Reiji

It is only the first day of school and I already have to deal with so many foolish human girls. I know that I have to tolerate them in case they discover our secret, but must they really chatter so much? It was just like this the last time that I attended this school. These girls are all the same. There was only one human who ever acted any differently.

Yui.

Being back in this place brings my memories of her back to the forefront of my mind. I can still remember seeing her walking these halls and constantly asking me to help her with the schoolwork. And the way that I treated her when she did.

They even put me into the same classroom as back then. Are they trying to punish me?

Just as this thought crossed my mind, I noticed several of the other students looking towards the doorway. This aroused my curiosity to the point that I turned my head in that direction only to see her.

Yui.

For just a moment, I wanted to run to her and beg for forgiveness. Before I could take part of this impulse, I realized that she had grey eyes, rather than the bright pink orbs that had always stared at me so innocently. And then all I felt was fury.

How dare she come to this school looking like her? She wasn't Yui, so why must she tease me with the thought of being reunited with her?

I will not tolerate such an insult to her memory.

But there is nothing I can do. Not without causing a scene.

I will endure her presence, but I will not even entertain the notion of pretending she is the same girl that I had known so many years ago. That would be an insult to Yui's memory to replace her with this charlatan.

So I will ignore her. And for her sake, I hope that she has the good sense to stay well away from me.


	10. Encounter on the Roof

Hikari

After my brief encounter with the strange boy, or man, as he seemed to be older than the rest of the students, the teacher arrived and had me introduce myself. As I did, I saw several of the other students looking at me in interest, and I entertained the idea of possibly making a few friends now that I had my issues under control. When I was younger, I had scared most of my friends away with my erratic behavior and by the time I learned to suppress my oddities, word had already spread throughout my school and no one would talk to me. But these students didn't know about that, and there was no reason for them to find out about it.

As I was considering whether or not I really would be able to make some friends, the teacher told me that if I had any questions, I could ask some guy named Reiji Sakamaki who would be sitting in back of me. When I went to sit down in my new seat, I realized that Sakamaki-kun was the same man who had tried glared at me when I entered the class.

Shit.

After that, I spent the rest of the class trying to focus on the lessons, but I couldn't ignore the feel of Sakamaki-kun's glare boring a hole into my back. I don't get it, what did I ever do to him?

But I was too much of a coward to face him, so when the bell for lunch, or, really, dinner, considering that this is a night school, rang, I ran out of the room as quickly as I could. I had hoped to talk to some of my classmates during the break, but after being glared at all night, I desperately needed to get away from it all and hide.

I never said that I was brave.

After I had wandered around the school for a few minutes, I saw a staircase and felt a sudden urge to go up it. It was just like the feeling I got when looking at Sakamaki-kun, that I knew this place but that I just couldn't remember it.

I had always known that this feeling of mine was completely ridiculous, but I was already feeling helpless after being so clearly despised. I just wanted to get away, and the way that I see it, even if this instinct of mine gets me lost, I'll still be far away from Reiji Sakamaki and I can blame my being lost on being new.

For once, my intuition was right. I managed to find the roof and as I breathed in the fresh air, I was glad that I wasn't trapped inside this building.

Ever since I was little, I had had nightmares about being inside of a large house, practically a mansion. It would have been great, but I felt as though I couldn't leave it for some reason, as though I was being forced to stay there. These dreams had always terrified me and whenever I woke up from one, I always felt the need to go outside just to prove to myself that I could.

After spending hours being glared at by a stranger, the urge to find a way outside had come back stronger than it usually did.

I was so absorbed in breathing in the night air that I didn't hear the person coming up behind me until he was leaning into me.

"Oh my. What do we have here?"

When I quickly turned, I saw that the boy standing behind me had red hair, but that was all that I could tell about him since he was wearing a hat that hid his face. I had always been fascinated by fedoras, another oddity of mine that no one could explain, and as I stared at this boy, I felt a strong sense of deja vu, as though he had cornered me before.

I'm not sure what I would have said, but as I opened my mouth, he interrupted and asked me, "Don't you know that you aren't allowed to be on the roof?"

While he posed it as an amused question, when he finally looked up, I could see that his eyes were anything but amused. This boy was smiling, but he seemed angry by my presence. Why? It's not like he's a teacher, so why should he care.

Whatever the reason was, I had had enough of all these strange people appearing in my life. I told him to go fuck himself and stormed off, hoping that I would be able to get back to my class without getting lost.

Raito

When the bell rang, I decided that to go to the rooftop to see the moon. And to remember.

It seems that being back in this school makes Yui-chan's presence feel so much stronger. It was bad at home, but it is even worse here.

But once the bell rang, I remembered the times that she would visit me on the school's roof, and I felt the need to go and see it again. I used to look at the moon for the sake of that woman, but then Yui-chan reminded me that the moon was beautiful, and I began to view it as such, instead of hating it for the memories it caused.

I still remembered her at times, but now, the moon reminded me much more of the times that Yui-chan and I would sit underneath it and talk. These memories hurt as much as they brought me happiness, but I had vowed to remember her so that she could die in peace.

She told me that all humans know that they will die someday, and that many people were afraid of it. I remembered that she laughed as she told me that it's probably because of the fact that she doesn't really know what will happen after she dies that she wants something to be different because of her. She said that she would be forgotten eventually, but she wanted to make something better while she was still alive so that while she won't live forever, she will have had an impact on this planet rather than simply lived on it.

I told her that she would be remembered, that I would never allow her to be forgotten, even if I was the only one who remembered her. She stared at me for several long moments before she laughed and said that she still had plenty of time.

It was one of the many times where I had to fight myself to not tell Yui-chan that she would die soon.

I thought about this conversation as I headed to the roof, and realized that both of Yui-chan's wishes had come true. She was remembered by six vampires, and we would never be able to forget the only human we had ever cared about. I think that she would be happy.

But I was violently jarred from these peaceful thoughts as I realized that a human girl was standing on the roof, defiling the place where Yui-chan and I had spent so much time.

My anger nearly took over, but I managed to control myself to the point that I was able to simply decide to punish her for being here.

Until she turned around.

I thought I was dreaming until I smelled her. The human smelled just like Yui-chan.

But it was impossible.

So how…

I'll see you all again someday, maybe by looking down from Heaven or maybe by walking by you.

Unbidden, Yui-chan's last words entered my mind, and, for the first time, I considered whether or not it was possible. Over the years, I had thought about it, but never with any degree of seriousness, just as a way to remember her.

But now, this human was here, looking like Yui-chan's clone, except for her eyes, and she even had the same scent.

As my disbelief mingled with my hope, I noticed that the girl had angrily said something to me before leaving.

She probably won't come back then, but I need to know the truth. This isn't just a fact-finding hunt. This might be my only chance to see Yui-chan again. If it's even possible that she could come back.

Regardless, whoever that girl was, I would find out everything about her, and then confront her. Force her to tell me if she really is Yui-chan or if she came here to taunt me with her memory by coincidence.

No truth has ever felt so imperative, even the search for Yui-chan's "God".


	11. Same Eyes

Reiji

Shortly before the bell rang to announce that classes would be starting again, I decided to take a short walk in order to compose myself to the point that I would no longer find that girl's presence quite so irritating.

However, as I was walking I came near to the stairs to the next floor and was startled by feeling a human hit my chest as they were walking down. Due to their weaker human scent, they fell to the ground.

Looking down, I saw the very same girl I had been trying so hard to avoid. I saw fear blossom in her eyes as she realised precisely whom she had just run into.

However, instead of feeling the pleasure that I normally would have felt at such a reaction, I felt nauseous, as though I might become ill. I couldn't understand this. The only human who has ever caused me to have such a reaction was Yui.

When she was alive, we had taught her to fear us. After Yui had nearly been taken over by Cordelia, I regretted the way that I had treated her. I hated to see the fear that would appear in her eyes whenever I came near her. More than anything, I wanted a chance to show her that there was no need to fear me.

But I never got that chance. Before she died, Yui may have said that she was glad that she was sent to us, but that same fear would still show up in her eyes as she looked at us. Perhaps I can take some pride in the fact that that fear began to lessen before her death.

But now, I will never know if I could have it disappear. If I could have made her happy.

That is what I have thought for so many years.

When this Hikari girl had stepped into my class, I let myself hope, for just a few seconds, that I might be able to do that.

Then, I saw her eyes and knew that she was not Yui.

But now, as I'm staring at her on the floor, I can see that their eyes are the same. They are two different colors, but I can see the same fear, and underneath that, I see the same clarity and honesty that I always saw in Yui's eyes.

Most importantly, I can smell her blood. Hikari has the same blood as Yui, even though that's impossible. After all, she couldn't possibly have Cordelia's heart like Yui did.

Just as I was thinking that this really was some kind of a trap, a memory flooded my mind.

I remembered Yui's words, and the promise in her eyes as she said that she would see us again.

I have tried to forget those words so many times over the years, afraid that if I believed in them, that hope would crush me someday.

Maybe I shouldn't have. This girl is just like Yui, and I know that Yui believed her own words. It wasn't in her nature to lie.

Perhaps Yui has managed to do what everyone else has thought was impossible. It wouldn't be the first time, and in the light of all this evidence, I'm beginning to believe that she has been reborn.

Just as I was pondering what this could mean, Hikari cleared her throat and said, "Sorry, I know that you were a million miles away, but I'd like to get up."

That really is just like what Yui used to do: ignore her fear and talk to us.

But before I let her go, I need to take care of her leg. If any of my brothers smell it, the result could be disastrous.

As I get her to agree to allow me to take care of it, I consider whether or not my brothers might already know that she is here.

But I doubt it. That good-for-nothing isn't close enough to smell her blood, and Ayato, the only one known for wandering the halls to such an extent, has decided not to attend school, regardless of our father's decision.

Next, I turn my thoughts to how to form a connection with Hikari. She may be Yui's reincarnation, but I doubt that she remembers us consciously.

After Yui's death, I researched this field in great detail in the hope that just such an event should occur. How irritating that when it finally did come to pass, I was too emotional to recognize the truth.

However, I do know that when a human reincarnates, they rarely remember anything about their last life unless they decided to cling to it right before their death. Even then, they usually are unable to recall these memories anywhere other than their subconscious. This could work in my favor.

It's clear that I have frightened Hikari, but she doesn't seem to be as scared as Yui was of me. She can't remember us.

That will make it difficult to speak with her, but it will also mean that I will have a better chance of gaining her trust as she won't start off with the memories of how we treated her in her past life.

However, I recalled that Yui always seemed to have trouble with math, the subject that we would have next period. Perhaps her reincarnation would also have this same problem. If that is the case, I could offer her assistance.

With this plan in mind, I quickly treated her leg and left her in the hallway. I considered asking her if she would like some help getting back to the classroom, but I knew that if I was going to be spending more time around her, I would need to feed first.

Still, I couldn't help but think that this has actually turned out to a surprisingly good night.


	12. Planning

Hikari

After my odd encounter with Sakamaki-kun, I stared at his back as he walked away. I knew that I should move, but I was too focused on trying to figure him out.

_In class earlier, it had seemed as though he had hated me. What's more, that anger actually scared me, as though he could really hurt me._

_That fear only added to my sense of familiarity with him, as though he had always scared me. But at the same time, being close to him comforted me, as though he would take care of me._

_I had disregarded that thought when he had been glaring at me, assuming that it was just another case of mistaken identity. Then, he had been so concerned for me, and it had felt normal. It felt as though I had gotten used to him helping me, but that made no sense._

_Unless, maybe, my feelings were right. Maybe this school is the place where I will find all of the answers that I have been looking for._

_But if my feelings were right about that, then wouldn't they have to be right about the people I have met, too?_

_Since coming to this school, I've met three boys who have felt familiar. Every other time I've gotten this kind of familiar feeling, it's always turned into disappointment as soon as I saw their face. But this time, my excitement has only grown, as though these guys really are the people who I have been unknowingly searching for my entire life._

_If anyone is going to have answers about these feelings that I have been having, it's going to be them._

_But, how can I get those answers? It's not like I can go up and just say, "Hey, I'm Hikari Wakahisa, and I know that we've never met before, but it feels like we have. Also, I've been having these weird dreams that I can never remember for my entire life, and I was hoping that you could tell me about them, even though you don't know me or anything about my dreams."_

_Yeah, that would go over really well._

_Still, if I want answers, I'm going to need to go to them. Maybe if I just talked to them, I'd be able to figure it out for myself._

_But who can I talk to?_

_Sakamaki-kun seemed nice just now, but I don't really want to find out if he has mood swings like that all the time after I got close to him. Besides, who knew if he even like me or if he just felt bad for me because I bumped into him? Just because I feel like I know him, it doesn't mean that he feels the same._

_Then there's that guy that I met on the roof, but he seems a little creepy. I don't really want to stay away from him, but I feel like it might be safer if I do._

_Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I feel the same way about that guy with the purple hair who yelled at me in the cemetery. Not that I could find him again, even if I did decide to ask him._

_That only leaves the guy that I met in the music room. He was strange and had been angry when I first came in, but he also helped me._

_I don't know his name, but I'm already following these crazy feelings of mine, so I might as well just go all in. After all, my feelings had told me that he was often in the music room, so maybe if I waited there, he would come?_

_Not the best plan, but then, I haven't exactly been coming up with logical plans lately, now have I?_

With my decision made, I finally managed to get up from the step that I had been sitting on. As soon as I stood up though, I heard a loud noise, as though someone was hitting something with incredible force.

When I walked around the corner to investigate, I found a large crater in the wall. Jumping back, I could help but feel a sense of deja vu.

_Why the hell does that keep happening here? I mean, I know that I came here to find answers, and that these feelings probably mean that I'm on the right track, but why do they have to lead me into the strangest situations and to the strangest people?_

Shaking my head at the insanity that is my life, I turned away from the wall and hurried to class, hoping that the teacher would cut me a little slack for being late on account of the fact that it is my first day.

But I didn't notice the person watching me from the shadows.


	13. Protect Her

Subaru

After the bell rang, I couldn't stay in the classroom any longer. Listening to all that inane chatter was slowly driving me insane. When one of the girls came up to talk to me, I could barely resist the temptation to punch her.

I wandered around the school for most of the break. Just as I was thinking about heading back to the classroom, I smelled something that I never thought I would smell again.

I stopped walking, stunned and thinking that I had finally followed my mother into insanity. Then, I realized that I couldn't possibly be imagining that sweet, intoxicating scent. In the past twenty years, I had tried so hard to forget it, only to think of her and recall it.

But those memories had never been this vivid. I couldn't believe that I was imagining this scent, but what other explanation was there?

I ran towards the scent and saw her. Yui was on the ground with a scrape on her knee, looking exactly like she always did when she used to fall over. She always was such a klutz.

But, when I saw her talking to someone, I looked in front of her to see Reiji standing there. The fear in her eyes made my heart clench. Just when I was going to break in, Reiji leaned down and tied a handkerchief around her leg. It looked like he said something to her before he walked away.

Watching her stare after him, I realized that this scene was just like before, when Yui came to live with us. And that didn't turn out very well.

If the rest of my brothers find out that she is here, they will probably try to take her back, and that can only be bad for her. Our family really is poisonous.

Reiji's already seen her, but he let her go. Maybe he doesn't think that she is really Yui. Most of them have given up hope on waiting for Yui, but I've never been able to forget how certain she seemed that she would see us again.

Hopefully, I'll be the only one to accept it and my brothers will leave her alone.

Or . . . they'll try to bite her.

The thought of Yui being tortured by us again causes my rage to emerge and I can't stop myself from punching the wall.

I could tell that it caught her attention as she walked towards me, just like before. Before she could see me, I hid down the hall.

After a moment, she lost interest and went on her way, as though she didn't have a care in the world.

But how long will she be able to keep that sort of freedom with my brothers here?

I clenched my fist, refusing to accept the fact that history might repeat itself. No matter what, I have to keep my brothers away from her. I can't let them bite her.

I can't watch her die again.


	14. New Start

Hikari

After I got back to class, I noticed that Sakamaki-kun hadn't gotten back to the classroom yet. I was relieved that I wouldn't have to find out which personality he would have when he got back, but, at the same time, I couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed, as though I actually wanted to learn more about that borderline nutcase.

_What a silly thought_ , I shook my head and tried to think about other things by checking the schedule for our class. I groaned when I realized that our next subject would be math, my worst subject.

Why me? And why does it have to be in front of Sakamaki-kun?

Wait, what? My own thoughts surprised me. I had never really cared what other people thought of me. After all, when you're a girl who often mistakes strangers for **another** group of strangers, you tend to develop a thick skin in order to keep all the rumors and gossip from getting to you.

So, why did I care if Sakamaki-kun knew that I struggled in math? He helped me earlier, so that should have at least dissipated my fear of him, but he was just too unpredictable for me to relax. When he got back to class, would he glare at me again, or would he treat me with the same kindness that he displayed in the hallway earlier?

As I was trying to figure out the answer, the subject of my thoughts walked in and sat down behind me. He didn't get the chance to say anything to me before the teacher walked in to start my own personal version of hell.

I listened to the teacher for an hour, but, by the end of it, I felt as though I might as well have been slamming my head against a rock when I saw the homework that the teacher had assigned us for the next day. Looking at it, I could tell that there was no way that I would be able to finish it. Hell, I couldn't even understand it.

"Ugh," I groaned as I let my head fall against my desk. Hey, maybe the hit would be enough to knock some knowledge for math into my head.

. . .

Yeah, I'm screwed.

Before I could completely give up the hope of passing this class, I heard someone say, "Hikari-san."

_Just go away. I know that I wanted to make friends here, but I just don't have the energy to do that know._

_Wait a minute, that voice sounds familiar. Almost like . . ._

I looked up, and sure enough I was staring right into the eyes of Sakamaki-kun. He didn't look as angry as he had when I first met him, so maybe I'll be speaking with his kinder persona. But why does this scene seem so natural to me?

I was so wrapped up in these thoughts that Sakamaki-kun had to clear his throat in order to get my attention. Realizing that I had been staring at him for who knew how long, I blushed and finally said, "Er, sorry about that Sakamaki-kun, I was in my own little world. What can I help you with?"

"I noticed that you seemed to be having quite a bit of trouble with the assignments that we were given earlier. Would you like me to help you with them?"

This caused a small war inside of me. If I accepted his offer then, based on the whispers that I had heard around me, I would probably pass the class. At the same time, if he had another mood swing, I wouldn't be able to leave him easily. After a moment, I decided to put some faith in his kinder side, especially since I knew how much a bad day could cost someone.

"If you wouldn't mind tutoring me, then I'd really appreciate it. Math has always been my worst subject, though, so it might be a little difficult."

"That's fine," Sakamaki-kun said. "Where would you like to work on this? I assume that it would be soon as that assignment is due tomorrow."

"Y-yeah," I stammered slightly, shocked by the kindness of the gesture. I guess that he really is as kind as he seems. "Um, I don't know this town that well, so I'm not sure where a good place to study would be. Is there a public library or something in town, Sakamaki-kun?"

"You may call me Reiji." Upon seeing my surprise at that statement, he explained, seeming reluctant, "I have five brothers who also attend this school. It gets rather confusing when we are all called Sakamaki."

"Oh, that must be nice. I always wished that I had siblings, but I'm an only child. Are you close to your brothers?" I asked excitedly.

I regretted asking as he looked almost pained by the question, but quickly said, "My brothers and I have . . . our differences, though we are closer now than we were several years ago. Now then, this town mostly has cafes and restaurants, so I do not believe that they would be good places for us to study. My home would also be a difficult place as my brothers would doubtless attempt to distract us. Would your home be an option?"

"Um, well I don't mind if you come over, but I should warn you that I just moved in yesterday, so it's still a little messy. But if you don't mind that, then could you come over around noon tomorrow, Reiji-san? I'll make us lunch."

I managed to surprise both of us with my suggestion, but I couldn't bring myself to regret it. For some reason, I desperately wanted to be able to talk to his man. I wanted to know him, and I felt like sharing a meal would help with that.

Before I could let my doubts about our new relationship take over, Reiji-san agreed to my proposal and the next teacher came in.

The rest of our classes passed by uneventfully, but one thing had changed. The foreboding presence in back of me had changed to a more welcoming atmosphere.


	15. New Plans

Hikari

Once school had ended, I immediately started packing up, thinking of nothing more than how nice and comforting my dear sweet bed would be when I got home. I'd always been the early to bed, early to rise types of people, so it was no wonder that going to school late at night would wipe me out. Especially, I realised with chagrin, when I'd taken a nice long late-night stroll the night before.

As I was thinking about how stupid I had to be to think that that would be a good idea, Reiji-san cleared his throat from behind me. "I believe that we should discuss the arrangements for your tutoring session tomorrow, such as telling me where you live."

It took me a minute to figure out that he had just asked me for my address. That formal speech that he seems to always use is really throwing me for a loop. "Um, right. My house is at 10 Sa-Er, give me a minute," I told him as I realised that I had accidentally begun to give him my parents' home address. And that I had completely forgotten what my new address is.

Quickly taking out my phone, I found my new address. Without bothering to write it down, saying that he would be able to remember it, Reiji-san asked, "Is there any time that is preferable to you?"

"Oh no, I should be the one asking you that, Reiji-san," I said with a blush, "especially since you're the one who's going to all of the trouble of helping me."

"Then, I will arrive at eleven tomorrow morning."

"That sounds perfect, Reiji-san." As we walked out of the school together, I began to think about what I might need to do to prepare for tomorrow. I may have unpacked, but that didn't mean that everything was neatly put away, not to mention that my mother said she'd send the rest of my stuff. _Something tells me that Reiji-san wouldn't appreciate the clutter, so I'll have to get that organized tonight. And since he's coming before noon, I guess I'll have to get something for us to eat. Wonder if he's allergic to anything?_

Before I got the chance to ask, Reiji-san had given me a brief greeting and began walking away. _Oh well, I'll just have to see what's at the store and get something that doesn't seem like it could cause a reaction._

After a few wrong turns, I managed to get to the grocery store. _I really need to start putting all these addresses into my phone before I go anywhere. Otherwise I'll spend half my life trying to find my own home._

Shaking my head at my crappy sense of direction, I quickly grabbed a carriage and began to look around the store. First up, milk, eggs and Poptarts. Looking around, I realised that I should have gone shopping earlier since I had only brought some granola bars and water bottles with me for the move.

As I shopped, I began to think about what I could make tomorrow. As I passed a display of Ragu, I realized that pasta might be nice. As I walked down the aisle, it felt like my body went on autopilot as I quickly grabbed tomatoes, spaghetti, bacon, garlic, Parmesan cheese and parsley.

After that I only got a few things that I liked. It took me until I had already paid for the items and was walking home bore I realized that I had forgotten to buy anything that Reiji-san might like. After a moment, I stopped worrying about it, thinking to myself that I could always give him some of my own food, even as a little voice in my head said that what I had gotten would be perfect.

By the time I got home, I was ready to sleep, barely even taking the time to put away the groceries before my bed welcomed me into oblivion.

I woke up way too early the next morning. Seriously, staying up until almost midnight for school and then going shopping, only to be woken at eight the next morning was ridiculous.

For a moment after waking up, I couldn't identify what has woken me up in the first place when it was so quiet. After a minute, the peace was broken by what I assumed to be another knock on my front door. Crawling out of bed, I prepared to rip whoever had disturbed my sleep a new one.

_I swear, if it's Rin, I'm gonna-_

This plan was stopped in its tracks when I opened the door to see a man wearing a t-shirt and jeans, and I couldn't help but wonder if it really was impossible for me to be in this city for more than a few hours without something going wrong or without offending someone. _Seriously what the hell? I never had this much trouble with people before moving here. Well, there were the times when I'd try to greet random strangers but-_

"Er, Wakahisa-san?" the man in front of me repeated, obviously having tried to pull me out of my thoughts multiple times already.

Putting on my best smile, and hoping to God that he didn't think I was a complete idiot, I said, "Sorry about that. You caught me a little off guard. I wasn't expecting visitors this early. Do I know you?"

With a surprising amount of good humor considering that I had spent the last few minutes glaring at him like a fool, he replied, "Oh no. I work for A-Hikoshi movers. Your parents asked us to deliver the rest of your things."

"Oh." I blinked in surprise. "I wasn't expecting you until later this week."

"That was the original plan, but we had another client in this neighborhood, so we decided to deliver your things as well. Now, if your don't mind," he said as he gestured inside.

"Oh, of course. Sorry."

As I watched the men move in all of the boxes that I had packed, I began to think very deeply about the importance of coffee in the mornings. After they left though, I realised that I had a much bigger problem to deal with. My once-clean apartment was now filled with boxes and Reiji-san would be coming in less than two hours.

Realising that I wouldn't be able to unpack and organise everything, I resigned myself to just doing it later and began to stack the boxes against the wall next to my bed. Maybe I'd get lucky he wouldn't notice?


	16. Lesson

Hikari

At exactly eleven, I heard a knock on my door.  “Reiji-san, good morning.”

“Yes, good morning.  We should start this lesson at once so that we don’t waste the entire day,” he replied as he walked inside.  “Were you able to understand any of the problems given to us?”

I laughed nervously.  “Well, I was able to understand what some of the questions were asking, but I’m not sure exactly how to find the answers to those questions.”

“I see.  Then, we really should get started quickly, otherwise I won’t have the time to teach all of it to you.”

As I led him to the table, I said, “Just one moment please.”  At his questioning look, I said, “I’ve already dragged you here to help me.  I should at least make you some tea as a thank you.”

I had put water on the stove with the intention to make us coffee, but now that he was here, making tea just felt right.  Almost by instinct, I reached for the canister of tea leaves I had bought the night before.

After the tea was brewed, I realised that I had never asked Reiji-san if tea would be okay.  “Um, Reiji-san, I’m sorry, but I just realised that I never actually asked you what you wanted to drink.  I’ve made black tea, but if you want something else, I can get that too.”

“No, the tea that you have prepared is fine.”  At my protests, he simply said, “Black tea is my preferred beverage.  I would have requested it if you had given me the choice, so there is no point in your offering me something else.”

“That’s a relief,” I told him gratefully before I began to prepare my own cup of tea.

Looking at me curiously, he asked, “What precisely are you doing?  You have already brought refreshments to the table.”

Embarrassed, I admitted, “I’m not very fond of black tea.  I mean, it’s not bad, but I prefer sweeter drinks.  It’s just that while I was shopping last night, I suddenly felt that you might prefer black tea instead.”  Laughing nervously, I added, “I guess my intuition is better than I thought it was, since you really do seem to like black tea.”

I couldn’t help but wonder if I had said something wrong as Reiji-san continued to stare at me, almost as though something I had said was shocking.  But it wasn’t, right?  I mean, a lot of people prefer sweeter beverages over black tea, right?  So that’s nothing to be surprised about.  Maybe he’s just surprised that I guessed that he liked it.  I mean, I’m surprised by that myself.

As the minutes passed by, I got more and more self-conscious as Reiji-san continued to stare at me.  Eventually I had to break the silence, otherwise my speculations would drive me insane.  “Um, Reiji-san, didn’t you say that you wanted to get started with the lesson as soon as possible?” I asked him, hoping that it would end the bizarre staring contest we seemed to have gotten into.

Reiji-san blinked for a moment before clearing his throat.  “Ah, yes.  I apologise, my behavior was quite rude.  Please, let us begin the lesson,” he said as he gestured for me to take a seat.

Slightly amused at being offered a seat in my own home, I sat down and brought my textbook and homework closer to the center of the table, rather than keeping it on the edge that I had left it on while waiting for Reiji-san to arrive.

Seating himself next to me, Reiji-san asked, “Were you able to understand any more of the problems over the course of last night?”

Blushing, I admitted, “I didn’t really look at it last night.”  Seeing him looking at me once more, I rushed to explain, “It’s just that i only moved here the day before yesterday, so I didn’t have time to unpack all of the things that I brought with me, and I also had to buy food and plates and stuff to make this place liveable since I didn’t want it to look like a pigsty when you got here.”

_Not that it actually worked though_ , I thought as I remembered the boxes that were currently occupying my bedroom.  And my bed itself, now that I thought about it.  Thank God my parents had decided to let me rent an apartment with actual rooms, rather than the one room apartment that is so popular with college students.

However, my explanation seemed to have mollified Reiji-san somewhat.  “I see, are you living by yourself?”

Feeling the need to explain myself, I told him, “I don’t know why, but when I saw the school crest in a brochure, it felt so familiar that I just had to come and see what it was like, so I asked my parents if they would let me come by myself since I knew that they wouldn’t want to leave their jobs back home.”

For a moment, I thought I saw surprise return to Reiji-san’s eyes before he smiled at me gently.  “That must be difficult.  If you ever need help with anything, please do come to me.”

“Ah, I couldn’t.  I mean, I’m really grateful for the offer, but you’re already helping me with my homework.  I couldn’t ask you to do more for me.”

“I see, then why don’t we start with the first problem on the page.”

* * *

 

Reiji

As I assisted Hikari through the various problems, I couldn’t help but think about what she had just told me.  Guessing my preferred beverage despite disliking it herself, as well as her beverage preferences are all things that must have stayed since she was Yui.

But above all else, her pull towards coming back to the last school that she attended as Yui, the school where Yui may have thought that she’d be able to find us at, even subconsciously.  It’s obvious that she remembers more about her past life than I had first thought.

But how much does she remember?  Only the small details of our lives?  Perhaps some scattered knowledge of our past?  Maybe even what we are?

I immediately shook that last thought off as ridiculous.  When Hikari had falled, she’d shown no indication of being worried about spilling blood in front of me as she would have if she’d known what I was.

But if I wanted to be in her life, some day Hikari would have to find out the truth, particularly as she begins to grow older and I stay the same.  Should I tell her that I knew her is her past life as well?  And if she has memories from that life, would it be possible for her to remember her entire life as Yui?

And just as importantly, would I want her to?  Or would I want to keep it hidden from her?  After all, I tormented her in that life.  But, she was also willing to meet us again after all of that.

Deciding that I had much to think about, and many more decisions to make, I pushed these thoughts to the back of my mind to worry over at a later date and focused on teaching Hikari.

It seemed that even death hadn’t been enough to cure Yui of her near allergy to math

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's been a while since I posted but I managed to some up with an update schedule that should last for a little while. Basically I'll be updating this story every Tuesday, with a few exceptions if I just don't have time. This happened last week when I wanted to post this chapter. Basically if you don't get a chapter on Tuesday, you'll get one next week (except for this week because I accidentally posted this into another story).
> 
> Also, please let me know who you'd like Hikari to be paired with. I'll probably ask about that until I get like 50 chapters, so if you don't want to answer now, that's fine, but just remember to keep it in mind.


	17. Chapter 17

Hikari

After a few hours with Reiji-san, I had managed to successfully complete the math problems from yesterday. Though I did begin to have my doubts about whether or not I’d actually be able to graduate from Ryoutei Gakuen.  I’d never have been able to figure out these problems by myself, and assuming that things would only get harder from here, I’d never be able to understand anything in my math class.

As though reading my thoughts, Reiji-san asked, “Would you like me to help you with our following assignments?”  At my surprised look, he continued, “You’ve already had quite a bit of difficulty with the assignments, and you’ve only attended for one day.  If you’d like, I could help you after class with the rest of our math assignments so that you don’t fall behind.”

Blushing, I shyly said, “I don’t want to take up all of your time with helping me like this, but if you wouldn’t mind helping me once or twice a week, I’d really appreciate it.”

“And how exactly would that save me time?” Reiji-san asked with one eyebrow raised.  “I’d then have to explain to you all of the assignments left over from several classes, and your grades would also fall because you wouldn’t be able to hand in all of your assignments.”

Blushing even harder, I realised that I really must seem like an idiot to someone like Reiji-san, but I also knew that he had a point so I quietly asked, “Then would you mind tutoring me like this whenever you have the time for it?”

After that agreement was made, I looked at the time and realised that it was almost three and I hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast.  “Ah, Reiji-san, would you like to have lunch with me?”

“It’s a bit late for that,” he noted, “though I suppose that we should eat something soon.  May I ask what brought on your question so suddenly?”

“I’m a little anemic, so I’m not really supposed to be skipping meals since it could make my anemia worse.  I bought some things for spaghetti yesterday, so that should be easy enough to prepare.  Oh, but I forgot to ask if you’re allergic to anything yesterday.”

Reiji-san informed me that he had no allergies, which was a relief since I wouldn’t have to worry about checking any labels for the possibility of any contamination.  I’d babysat a boy before who was allergic to nuts and when I tried to feed him macaroni and cheese, he had a reaction because it was made in a factory that also made peanut butter.  After that I learned to always check labels when dealing with someone with any sort of allergy, though it did tend to complicate shopping when it was an allergy to something that’s really commonly used, like nuts or milk.

I was also relieved when Reiji-san seemed pleased that I had bought all of the ingredients needed to make spaghetti carbonara, and told me that he would make the actual pasta and sauce while I could fry the bacon, quickly overruling my protests on the subject.  Somehow, even though we were in my home, Reiji-san managed to make me feel like a child who had no idea what she was doing or right to do it.  Sighing, I decided that from now on I’d prepare our meals before Reiji-san arrived so that I’d actually be able to show my appreciation to him, rather than having him help me with every little thing.

Although, when the food was finally done, I did have to concede that he was an excellent cook, and maybe even better at it than I was.  It was only after we had finished eating that things started to turn sour.

We had just finished washing the dishes, once again doing it together despite my protests, when I realised that I should put my homework in my bag or I might forget it when I left for school.  Unfortunately, I had left my bag near my bed and when I walked away, I tripped over one of my errant boxes.  The resulting avalanche caused Reiji-san to come in and see most of my stuff scattered all over the floor from when the boxes had burst open.

_Damn, this is like a scene from a manga or something.  Although, the rage on his face is a bit different than what I’d expect to see in a manga._

And was quickly accompanied by his angry lecture.  The first couple of minutes, I thought that I was glad that he wasn’t yelling at me, but then I realised that it would be less scary if he were yelling at me.  At least then it would be instinctual to just drown him out, but hearing him go on and on in this even tone was something that scared me just because most people raised their voices when they were angry, even when they tried to hide it.

After a couple more minutes, Reiji-san finally began to wind down and asked me how this had happened.

“Er, see, I wasn’t able to bring all of my things with me when I moved so my parents said they’d send them to me when they got the chance.  So this morning, I cleaned my apartment and organised everything that I brought with me, but then a couple minutes before you got here, some movers came with the rest of my stuff and I didn’t have time to unpack it all, so I just put it in here until you left and then I tripped when I was putting my homework in my bag and, well-”

“So basically this situation was caused by your lack of planning and organisation.  Honestly, you should have planned this out better,” Reiji-san said, sounding slightly resigned.

I braced myself for another lecture, but was surprised when he simply reached down and started picking up pieces clothing from the floor.  When I did nothing but stare at him, Reiji-san told me sharply, “Don’t just lie there.  I have no intention of cleaning up this mess of yours on my own.”

“Ah, yes, thank you,” I said as I awkwardly stood up, relieved that I wouldn’t have to sit through another one of Reiji-san’s lectures.  For some reason, even though Reiji-san is the same age as me, it always felt as though he were older than me somehow.  Shaking my head to get my imagination to calm down, I told myself that it was just because he was mature for his age, so of course it would feel like that.  When I saw, Reiji-san start to open the box that I was pretty sure I had packed my underwear in, I rushed over and quickly told him that I could take care of it.

**Author's Note:**

> Like it says in the summary, I haven't decided what the pairing for this story is going to be. So, if you have a preference, feel free to let me know in a comment.
> 
> Thanks for reading, and I hope I'll see you guys soon.


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